


Princess, Softly

by daddyreaper



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 13:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9074818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daddyreaper/pseuds/daddyreaper
Summary: Luna and Crowe flee the city of Insomnia, taking refuge in a small cave. (Based during the events of Kingsglaive with Crowe protecting Luna instead of Nyx.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Based during Kingsglaive, except with Crowe protecting Luna instead of Nyx. Doesn't exactly fall in with the Kinsglaive timeline, this is pure wishful thinking.

The fire crackled in the space between them, whispering ancient secrets into the silent midnight. Crowe held out her palm, fingers firm as she conjured the flames. She couldn't urge the fire too much, because she knew full well that the smoke would only draw attention to their current location. So she kept the crystal's magic at a gentle simmer.

From the corner of brown eyes, Crowe watched Lady Lunafreya. How the light cascaded along the sharp contours of her face, how the moonlight set her hair aflame. Luna's own eyes were weary but restless all the same, darkened with a curve of sleeplessness but still shining through the shadows. She had doe-eyes, bursting and blue. Those eyes had seen too much in their twenty-five years. They had held on too long, and now they were all too willing to let go.

Crowe eased herself backwards against the cool walls of the cave letting her body slacken and her mind drift. She suppressed a shiver, feeling the cold rip through her Glaive coat, through her under-shirt, to the skin beneath. It was freezing, and she could only imagine how Lady Lunafreya must have felt wrapped in nothing but the thin illusion of a cocktail dress. A beautiful mess of lace and frills, concealing a tight under-dress that kept Luna's legs knitted together like a mermaid's tail. 

Admittedly, she looked beautiful. How black and white fabrics weaved along her body as if they belonged there; not a dress, but a crumbling galaxy along the smooth of her skin. It was hardly practical for fleeing the Empire. Then again Luna hadn't exactly been preparing for battle when she had left Tenabrae that morning. 

Luna was moving irritably, making a rustle of sound trying to find some sort of comfortable position to rest in. Her frustration was dawning along her features, daring to contort the refinement of her face. She was biting her lip stiff as if it held together her sanity.

Fingers slipped along her leg, along her thigh, up the left side of her dress. Luna was tracing the length of the seam by the looks of it. There was a tear just near the bottom of the dress aligning perfectly with the left seam and threatening to edge its way further and further up. It would expose Luna's leg unless there was some way to mend it, and Crowe was certain neither of them had brought along a sewing kit. 

Suddenly, a sharp sound startled Crowe like the fierce crack of a whip. Luna's fingers were bunched into fists, ripping mercilessly at the dress, making a slit along the side and freeing her legs from their prison. Crowe's mouth teetered from one expression to the next, like how the dawn becomes the morning without effort. Curiosity, then shock. Then she was impressed, then smirking. 

“That tore far too easily,” remarked Luna, the civility becoming uneasy in her mouth. “Perhaps I'm paying too much for these dresses.”

As she spoke, she dragged her knees up close to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs hugging them close. Letting a sigh escape her lips, Luna closed her eyes. Her body becoming slack in her tiredness. Crowe could see the lines of worry curving along her forehead and dipping beneath her eyes. It was clear Luna hadn't known a single night's peace in a long time, and Crowe could only guess at how long that was.

“Maybe you're just stronger than you think, Princess.”

Luna smiled gently, nodding in agreement. “Perhaps.”

“Fire's ready,” said Crowe, resting her palms along her thighs. “If you're still cold you can take my coat.”

Luna inched closer to the fire. “There's no need for that, Crowe. Thank you.” But in spite of this Crowe was already swiftly undoing the buttons of her Glaive coat. “Really, I wouldn't want you to be cold in my stead.” 

Removing each weapon the coat held; two knives and a set of daggers, Crowe placed them beside her in a neat little line. She had less weapons than most Glaives carry, simply because her power lay in spell-casting as opposed to weapon wielding like most of the others. Still, she needed something lethal on her person just in case the magic failed her, although so far it never has. 

“Crowe, please.”

With a single movement Crowe lay her coat along Lady Lunafreya's shoulders. Smaller in size, the coat draped over her like a cape, and Crowe wanted to smile at how charming she looked. How lost she looked amid the fabric.

Lady Luna's heavy sigh entered the night air, and her hot breath made fog. Slowly, hesitantly, despite each corner of her mind protesting against this, Luna's arms slipped into the sleeves of the coat embracing the warmth. The exertion of battle weaved its way through the seams of that Glaive coat. Crowe's effort clung to its insides discharging in spells of gentle heat that spread through Luna's body like kisses along her skin.

Luna trembled as cold mixed with warmth. Her eyes shut tightly, as she pulled the coat closer and closer still. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“Don't mention it.”

The fire's light haloed around them casting obscure patterns along their shifting bodies, along their eager hands, and all the world beyond them dissipated into nothingness. 

Crowe noticed that the closer both her and Luna moved toward the fire's promise of heat, the nearer they got to each other. First it was just knees grazing lightly. Their fingers teased, but neither woman pretended to notice as the sculpted muscle of Crowe's arm pressed against Luna's lithe own. For a moment Crowe wondered if she was crossing some sort of line until a sweet sigh breezed past Luna's lips like a sing-song, and Crowe's body was drowned in a divine comfort.

Luna's voice, even in sighing, sounded like the moonlight. Sounded like how the stars sound when they twinkle, when they dance. What the stars dance to maybe, was the way Lady Lunafreya breathed and Crowe's heart skipped a beat, her lips felt dry, they itched to be wet, to be toyed with, to be touch by Luna's own.

Luna smelled of sweat and perfume, although Crowe couldn't quite place the scent and it would be weird of her to ask so she didn't. Peaches, maybe. Something light and fruity definitely. Something you wouldn't expect from a woman as controlled as Lady Lunafreya seemed. Then again, Crowe was coming to learn that Luna wasn't exactly an unstoppable force of eloquence and grace, but more than that. Beneath a perfect exterior, she was human. Not unreachable. And by the way their forearms seemed to melt together, not untouchable either. 

Humanity suited her. It suited her like how white suited her, like how silver and blue suited her. There was something beautiful in watching Lunafreya unravel that made Crowe eager for the days to come. Her heart thundered as Luna slowly, carefully peeled back the glistening skin of the Oracle, holding her arms out and offering herself raw to Crowe's gentle eyes

Luna's face was still swimming with uncertainty. Her features liquid and her smile awash, drifting but still _there_. She looked up at Crowe, connecting their gaze.  
Crowe's face was flushed. She was speechless. She might have been in love.

**

“We shall return to Insomnia as soon as possible, before morning preferably.” Luna spoke sternly, breaking the calm. This wasn't an option, she was not asking permission. It was an order.

“Lady Lunafreya, with all due respect do you intend to get yourself killed? They're after you, we know as much. We've been out of sync with the Crown City for too long to know how much worse the situation has gotten.”

“King Regis will be in extreme danger if I do not go.”

“And you'll be in extreme danger if you do go.”

At this Luna scoffed. “My duty is to be by the King's side regardless of the consequences to myself, as is expected of the Oracle. I have been raised to understand this destiny since I was six years old, and it is at this time that my destiny will be realised.”

“That's,” Crowe shook her head. She was searching somewhere for the words she needed, glancing around as if those words would be carved on the backs of rocks.

“That's what, soldier?” Luna urged.

“That's sick.”

“Excuse me?”

“That's damn sick- pardon my language. And I'm sorry for being so forward, but they treat you like some kind of disposable little doll, is what they do. No little girl should be built up and up, just to be knocked right down.”

“Well behold, solider, I am no little girl anymore. And you might just want to hold that tongue of yours, for you have no business speaking to me in such a manner.”

“I'm- I'm so sorry, Lady Lunafreya. I was talking without thinking.”

“Without thinking, indeed. My mother was the Oracle before me, and her mother before her. Do you mean to tell me their lives were wasted? My role in the destiny of Eos is the greatest honour, and I will happily play such a role no matter the outcome.

“I am not throwing my life away, Crowe, if that's what you thing. Anything that happens to me will be for the greater good. My life will not be a wasted one, on the contrary my life is so important, and my sacrifice only more so.”

“I just... it's terrible that you have to...”

“I do not fear death.”

“Well, I wish you would!”

“What?” 

“It's nothing.”

“No, please continue,” said Luna, heatedly. “For I wish to understand what's going on in that head of yours when you speak, because right now I'm wondering what's giving you the confidence to speak to me in this manner.”

Luna was challenging Crowe. Her blonde brows were creased in anger. Crowe swallowed, straightening her posture. She refused to bite back her own fury, instead letting it drip from her throat like raw acid, like the breath of Ifrit. 

“I wish you would fear death, even just a little. That way you would comprehend the importance of life. And no, not in the grand sense. Not everyone's life. Your life. Specifically.

“Your life is important, not because of the role you play, but because of the person you are. I want you to understand that your life means something beyond being the Oracle! Luna you mean something!” An uncertain pause, breathing heaving. “You mean so damn much.”

“Thank you,” Luna said. “That's very kind of you.”

A groan. “You're not listening.”

“Of course I am, I said thank you. You're words are very kind.”

“No, Lady Luna. You're not taking it in! You're just trying to shut me up and you're not really listening to what I'm saying.”

“I am listening! You're the one that isn't listening, you're disregarding _my_ words.

“A human life will never be more important than their destiny, and even if I dare think for a second that it might be, it will not change the course of that destiny. My death is inevitable, I have accepted as much. Dwelling on the living, hoping that the course of fate will change is but a hollow daydream, soldier, and I need not weigh my heart down on such foolish things. 

“Perhaps there was once a time when I dreamed of living a normal life. Perhaps I once I did wish that I wasn't born to perform this sacrifice, but I've realised that that was selfish of me.

“No one is greater than their destiny, Crowe. No one can escape it, not you nor I. My duty to the King of Kings is my destiny.”

“You can be selfish, Lady Lunafreya. You can decide to protect yourself over everyone else.”

“No, Crowe! I can not. No one else can perform this duty. Should I back out now, then the world will be plunged into darkness, and I will be forced to watch as my failure brings about the death of thousands and millions of innocents. My life is not more important than the lives of endless others.”

“I think it is.”

“Well, it's not! I don't understand why you're arguing this, because it will not change anything. I thought a soldier like you would understand the value of sacrifice when the cause is a worthy one.”

“Oh, I understand sacrifice, Lady Lunafreya. I've just never been much fond of it when I'm forced to watch friends and family die for a country that doesn't give a damn about them!”

Boiling point. Like how an old kettle squealed when the heat was to much to bear. They had been building, building, and now finally their bodies were deflating with a soft sigh.

Crowe was shaking visibly, hands wavering, palms splayed on the crisp earth beneath them, seeking solace in the reliability of firm ground. Luna's forehead was creased, her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose so tight. Maybe she was holding back tears.

“I'm so sorry,” Luna said, voice gentle like a heartbeat.

“No, I'm sorry. I said too much. Of course all of this is beyond your control. It's beyond all our control.” Crowe's voice was cracking.

Awkwardness settled between them, urging them apart but neither woman moved. The silence swung above them like a weighted object threatening to drop. The fire's crackle became noticeable once again and Crowe decided she needed to focus on the fire to ease her volatile heart.

Internally, Crowe was chastising herself for the way she spoke to the princess, but she couldn't bring herself to regret her words. She needed Luna to comprehend just how important she was- _to her_. But she couldn't just outright say it, could she? So like an idiot, she had to go and make an argument out of a confession of love, out of a promise of protection. 

Crowe glanced furtively to Luna, biting her lower lip. She noticed how Luna's slender little fingers were twiddling idly, trying to distract herself in her discomfort. Crowe watched as the Glaive coat's sleeves reached Luna's knuckles in its length on her smaller frame, on her shorter arms. She looked absolutely adorable no matter how angry Crowe was at her.

Then again, it wasn't Luna she was angry at. Crowe was angry at the world that seemed so quick to dispose of Luna. Crowe was angry at the people who had taught Luna from the earliest moments of her life that her body was only worth who she could save. And she couldn't save everyone.

**

“Oh, wait. With all this fighting going on I almost forgot.” Crowe shifted slightly, reaching into the pocket of the Glaive coat and pulling out a small box. “Here.”

“What's this?”

“A gift.”

“For me?”

“For you.”

“Crowe, you shouldn't have.”

“Well I already did, so open it!” 

Luna opened the box, setting the lid aside delicately. 

“Girly stuff isn't exactly my strong suit,” Crowe shrugged. “But when I saw it I thought it would look pretty on you.” A slight nervous pause. “Do you like it?”

Luna was evidently speechless, her mouth agape, eyes wide with wonder. Crowe couldn't for a second deny how beautiful Luna looked, and why would she? 

How a soft red blush dusted Luna's pale cheeks, how her eyes swam behind curled lashes. Her fingertips rose to her soft lips were they shook, before falling to pluck the gift from its box and hold it toward the fire's glow. 

A small, fragile little hair piece of glimmering silver.

“Oh Crowe, it's absolutely beautiful.”

And it was. It caught the light in its silver palms and held it close, never letting go. With each movement a new piece of its shimmering body illuminated, tears of crystal streaming along its surface. Dotted with sparkling magnificence, it seemed as though a thousand stars had been peppered by the hands of a Goddess along each bend and twist of this hair piece, so that the wearer knew that they held the universe in their hair. Along their scalp. Within their gorgeous roots. 

Donning this piece Luna would know how special she was. 

Crowe was never an expert when it came to gift-buying, let alone a gift for a Princess, but the second she saw this hair piece in the jewellery store, she knew just how beautiful Lady Lunafreya would look wearing it. Crowe had blown a lot of savings on this gift, but to see Luna's gorgeous face in such genuine shock made it worth the money, somehow. 

“Crowe... I can't believe you... I love it.”

Crowe reached forward, silently asking Luna's permission for the hair piece, which Luna relinquished gladly. As Crowe took the hair piece she shifted to her knees before Luna, and Luna bowed her head low. Fingers moved delicately, a Mage's fingers, coaxing the glistening hair piece into the golden wisps of Luna's hair. They coalesced as if they belong together, her hair and the piece. Like how the sunset curves its body into the blackness of the ocean without fear. 

This moment was Luna's coronation. This hair piece, her crown. Crowe felt an immeasurable pride drumming in her chest.“Beautiful.” Crowe's voice was hushed, admiring.

A smirk swept along Luna's lips. “Oh, so you think I'm beautiful?”

Crowe chuckled. “That's not what I said. I was referring to the hair-piece.” 

“But you implied it looked beautiful on me.” They were teasing now.

“I suppose I did, didn't I?”

A playful slap to Crowe's arm. Luna giggled, and Crowe's heart seemed to skip a beat. Laughter tumbled languidly from lips like candy floss, and suddenly Crowe was lost to the sound. She had only just then realised she had never heard Luna laugh before. They had only known each other a short while, no more than twenty-four hours maybe, and in that time there was little reason to laugh. But now that she had heard that magnificent laughter she wanted to hear nothing else for as long as she lived. 

It was like how birds chirped in the morning time to remind the world that it was alive. 

Luna's laughter seemed to shock herself just as much as it had shocked Crowe, because she gasped and her hand rose to conceal it almost instantly. It was adorable, how flustered she seemed and this made Crowe snort which in turn made Luna laugh more. And soon enough their messy laughter coalesced in the crisp night making it seem less ferocious, less intimidating. 

They glanced at each other, smiles still fresh on their faces, all remnants of war and Lucis and Nifelheim and the failed peace treaty blew from their minds like flowers catching on a spring breeze. Their breaths were heaving just a little. Their chests synchronised in rise and fall.

The glow of the fire seemed to dim around them as if the rest of the world was being lulled into a gentle slumber. Nature encouraged them, promising them that anything that should happen under the veil of the stars would be kept a secret come sunrise. 

Luna leaned in closer to Crowe, cupping her cheek with trembling fingers, and Crowe couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the nervousness but she wanted nothing more than to calm the Princess. “Hey, its okay. Lady Lunafreya, it's okay.”

“Please,” whispered Luna, meeting Crowe with those eyes like crystal. “Call me Luna.”

And in that moment it was those eyes that Crowe wanted to pledge her eternal allegiance to. It became clear in that very second that Crowe wanted so desperately to throw herself down on one knee, place a firm hand over her beating heart and promise her life to those glistening eyes, because right then they were the only thing that matter to Crowe in the whole world.

Oh how the Lucian Crystal paled in comparison to those mesmerising eyes. Crowe was certain they infused her very body with some other sort of magic, some type of impossible, unbreakable power that the Lucian Crystal and all the former Kings and the Chosen Six could only wish to recreate. 

“Luna.” Her name was a prayer on Crowe's lips.

Then Luna kissed her. 

Tired of waiting Luna claimed Crowe's lips with her pink own, one hand placed along her neck and the other intertwined with her hair. 

Crowe kissed back, slipping her own palm along the small of Luna's back, tugging her closer with one slight pull. 

Greedy hands swept between them in a flurry, grasping at each loose fray that the other relinquished. Even in such a mild and careful kiss they let their bodies come undone.

Crowe felt languid in the palms of Luna, and she could tell Luna felt the same. It was in how she never opened her eyes, but instead felt her way over Crowe's body, making a treasure map along her scarred skin. A map of fingerprints like uncertain constellations telling Crowe that if Luna could kiss all these places on Crowe's body with more than ghostly lips she would. Oh god, she would.

In that moment Luna bloomed like a flower, and between their tongues the taste of her sweet nectar was passed back and forth like a ritual. Tilting back her head, Crowe accepted Lunafreya, took her in, drank her sweetness like liquor. Filling her mouth to the brim and swallowing Luna down, Crowe wouldn't spill a drop. She wanted to be drunk on all that Luna was and all they could be together. If not forever, then in that moment: _together_. 

They fell apart, gasping for breath. 

They fell apart like how the knot of a necklace comes undone and beads burst loose across the hardwood floor; they were better off together. 

Neither wanted to think about the consequences of their actions just yet, and so neither woman spoke. Instead they continued to hold each other, faces flushed red, eyes burning with a passion they would be forced to extinguish before the sun rose.

Luna offered Crowe a lopsided little smile. Wordlessly Luna told Crowe that she could if she would. But she couldn't.

Luna let her head rest against Crowe's shoulder, and Crowe in turn placed her head gently atop Luna's, letting their bodies meld together. Fingers crawling toward Luna's along the cave floor, Crowe's hand slipped into Luna's own and squeezed softly.

“I'm very tired, Crowe,” Luna mumbled. “If you wouldn't mind, could I perhaps sleep for a short while?”

“Of course, Luna,” Crowe smiled softly, nuzzling her cheek against Luna's hair. “I'm here to watch over you. You sleep as long as you need to.”

Luna yawned sweetly. “Thank you, I'll not sleep for too long. I promise. You're not too tired, are you Crowe?”

“No, Luna. I'm fine. You're magic keeps me going.”

“My.. my what?” But her voice was wavering, melting into nothingness against her fatigue. 

Without words Crowe lifted her head from Luna's own, staring down at the precious woman. Delicate fingers moved to brush aside the hair of Luna's fringe. Carefully, she planted a kiss like citrus on her forehead, letting her lips linger for a little longer than needed. A blush sprinkled its way along Luna's cheeks, and perhaps then she understood what kind of magic she possessed.


End file.
